Design of a cable harness installation

Abstract

Design of a laying of a cable harness (15,19) comprising: an outer element (21) having a bellows tube shape; and at least one conduction path (22) designed to be contained in and protected by the outer element (21), wherein the cable harness (15, 19) is laid in a generally straight laying section (D) such that the outer element (21) is serpentine such that sections (B, E) of an inner surface of the outer element (21) are brought into contact with the at least one conduction path (22), wherein the generally straight routing section (D) is defined as a section in which the wire harness (15, 19) is laid generally straight under the vehicle floor (11) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is located between curved routing sections (C) which are defined as sections in which the wire harness (15, 19) is laid in a curved manner to correspond to shapes of corresponding sections of a routing destination.

Description

Background of the invention 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an embodiment of a wiring harness installation comprising a tubular outer member and one or more wiring paths contained within and protected by the outer member. 2. Description of related technology

[0002] Wire harnesses are used to electrically connect devices installed in a motor vehicle. Wire harnesses are equipped with a tubular outer member and one or more wiring paths housed in the outer member. For example, JP 2011-254614 A discloses a wire harness that is long and routed so that part of it runs under the floor of a motor vehicle. The portion of the wire harness running under the floor of the motor vehicle runs straight. In the wire harness disclosed in JP 2011-254614 A, a phenomenon occurs that, in its straight-routed portion, the wire path(s) housed in the outer member is / are shaken due to vibration, etc., that occurs during driving of the motor vehicle.

[0003] In the above related wire harness, when the wire path(s) housed in the outer member is / are subjected to strong vibration due to vibration occurring during the running of the motor vehicle, a cover (an outer shield braid or a metal foil of the wire path(s) in the case where it / they have a shielding function) of the wire path(s) may violently collide with the inner surface of the outer member and thereby be damaged.

[0004] Document JP 2014-220986 A relates to a wire harness and a bending restricting member. A wire harness includes a corrugated tube in which annular convex portions and annular concave portions are alternately formed along a longitudinal direction, and slits are formed along the longitudinal direction; a wire harness body disposed within the corrugated tube; and a bending restricting member formed of an elastic material. The bending restricting member includes a bending restricting portion configured to be disposed in the slit, the dimensions of which in a radial direction of the corrugated tube are larger than the dimensions of the circumferential direction of the corrugated tube in the state of being disposed in the slit; and a positioning portion protrudingly provided on at least one side part of the bending restricting portion and engageable with the slit.

[0005] Document JP 2011-150991 A relates to a wiring path for vehicles. The electrical wiring path for vehicles comprises a plurality of power cables and at least one control cable held in a flexible plastic tube. The control cable is held in a metal tube formed into a desired shape, so that the control cable is held in a desired shape. The plurality of power cables are bundled together with a braided shield, and the plurality of power cables bundled together with a braided shield are arranged along the shaped metal tube, and the plastic tube covers the periphery of the bundled power cables and the metal tube.

[0006] Document JP 2006-180622 A relates to a fixed power supply. A wire harness is flexibly wired along a curved bending limiting wall in a protective device. A leaf spring is provided along the bending limiting wall, and a spring retainer is attached to the leaf spring. The wire harness is attached to the spring retainer such that the spring retainer can slide along the bending limiting wall. Low-friction sliding portions are formed on the spring retainer and / or the bending limiting wall in the fixed power supply. The bending limiting wall is substantially annular, and the wire harness is wired in a loop along the bending limiting wall. Overview of the invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a wire harness capable of suppressing vibration of one or more wiring paths inside an exterior member.

[0008] To solve the above problem, the invention provides a wiring harness routing configuration including: an outer member having a bellows tube shape; and at least one wiring path configured to be contained in and protected by the outer member, wherein the wiring harness is routed in a generally straight routing portion such that the outer member is meandered so that portions of an inner surface of the outer member are brought into contact with the at least one wiring path, wherein the generally straight routing portion is defined as a portion in which the wiring harness is routed generally straight under the vehicle floor in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is located between curved routing portions defined as portions in which the wiring harness is curved to respectively conform to shapes of corresponding portions of a routing target.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the wiring harness is laid such that the outer member is serpentine in a portion where the at least one wiring path is susceptible to vibration, and consequently, portions of the inner surface of the outer member are brought into contact with the at least one wiring path there. This makes it possible to suppress vibration of the wiring path(s) inside the outer member even in a portion where the wiring path(s) would otherwise be susceptible to vibration.

[0010] For example, the snaking position of the outer element is maintained by the fasteners that attach the wiring harness to the routing target.

[0011] Since the meandering position of the outer element can be maintained by the fastening elements, vibration of the cable path(s) according to the above embodiment can be prevented, for example, by using existing clamps, without the need to use new components. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B illustrates wiring harnesses according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1A shows how a high-voltage wiring harness is laid, and Fig. Figure 1B shows how another wiring harness, i.e. a low-voltage wiring harness, is laid. Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B illustrate a method of installation according to the invention; Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram showing curved routing portions and a generally straight routing portion of a wire harness main body, and a lower part of Fig. 2B is a bottom view seen from the direction indicated by an arrow A in Fig. 2A and illustrates a method of installation according to the invention. Fig. Figure 3A shows how a conduction path behaves inside an outdoor element in the section indicated by an arrow B in Fig. 2B is specified, and Fig. Figure 3B shows how two conduction paths behave inside an outdoor element in the section indicated by arrow B in Fig. 2B is specified. Detailed description of the exemplary embodiments

[0012] In order to prevent vibration of a wiring path(s) inside an exterior member, the wire harness according to the invention employs a routing configuration in which the wiring path(s) are inserted into and contained within the exterior member, and the exterior member is serpentine so that portions of the wiring path(s) are brought into contact with the inner surface of the exterior member. This routing configuration is employed in a generally straight routing section, defined as a section in which the wire harness is laid in a generally straight manner, between curved routing sections, defined as sections in which the wire harness is laid in a curved manner to respectively conform to shapes of corresponding portions of a routing target. [Embodiment]

[0013] An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment is such that the invention is applied to a wiring harness installed in a hybrid vehicle. (The invention can also be applied to an electric vehicle, a conventional motor vehicle, and the like.) <Ausgestaltung eines Hybridfahrzeugs 1>

[0014] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1A, a hybrid vehicle 1 is driven by combining two types of drive power of a motor 2 and a motor unit 3. Electric power is supplied to the motor unit 3 from a battery (battery pack) 5 via an inverter unit 4. In the embodiment, the motor 2, the motor unit 3, and the inverter unit 4 are mounted in an engine compartment 6 located adjacent to the front wheels, etc. The battery 5 is mounted in a rear vehicle part 7 where the rear wheels, etc. are located (or may be mounted in a vehicle compartment located behind the engine compartment 6).

[0015] The motor unit 3 and the inverter unit 4 are connected by a high-voltage wiring harness (a high-voltage motor cable) 8. Similarly, the battery 5 and the inverter unit 4 are connected by a high-voltage wiring harness 9. An intermediate portion 10 of the wiring harness 9 is laid under a vehicle floor 11 of the vehicle (the vehicle body) approximately parallel to the vehicle floor. The vehicle floor 11, which is a well-known part of the vehicle body and a so-called plate member, is formed with through holes at predetermined positions. The wiring harness 9 is inserted through the through holes in a watertight manner.

[0016] The wiring harness 9 and the battery 5 are connected to each other via a connection block 12 attached to the battery 5. An external connection unit, such as a shielded connector 14, provided for a wiring harness connection 13 at the rear end of the wiring harness 9, is electrically connected to the connection block 12. The wiring harness 9 is electrically connected to the inverter unit 4 via an external connection unit, such as another shielded connector 14, provided for a wiring harness connection 13 at the front end of the wiring harness 9.

[0017] The motor unit 3 includes a motor and a generator. The inverter unit 4 includes an inverter and a converter. The motor unit 3 is implemented as a motor assembly including a shielding case. Similarly, the inverter unit 4 is implemented as an inverter assembly including a shielding case. The battery 5 is of a Ni-MH type or a Li-ion type and is implemented as a module. Alternatively, an electrical storage device such as a capacitor can be used as the battery 5. The battery 5 is not subject to any particular restrictions as long as it can be used for the hybrid vehicle 1 (or an electric vehicle).

[0018] As in Fig. 1B, a wire harness 15, which is a low-voltage wire harness, is provided to electrically connect a low-voltage battery 16 arranged in the rear vehicle part 7 of the hybrid vehicle 1 to an auxiliary device (a device) 18 mounted in a front vehicle part 17. As in the embodiment shown in Fig. In the wiring harness 9 shown in Figure 1A, part of the wiring harness 15 is laid under the vehicle floor 11 (this is only an example; it can also be laid on the side of the room).

[0019] As in Fig. 1A and Fig. As shown in FIG. 1B, the high-voltage wire harnesses 8 and 9 and the low-voltage wire harness 15 are laid in the hybrid vehicle 1. Although the invention is applicable to any of them, a typical one, that is, the low-voltage wire harness 15, will be described below. <Ausgestaltung des Kabelbaums 15>

[0020] As in Fig. 1B, the long wiring harness 15, a portion of which is laid under the vehicle floor 11, includes a wiring harness main body 19 and connectors 20 provided for the two respective terminals of the wiring harness main body 19. The wiring harness 15 also includes fastening elements (e.g., terminals 27; described below) and water-blocking elements (e.g., rubber sealing rings; not shown) for wiring itself along a predetermined route. <Ausgestaltung des Kabelbaum-Hauptkörpers 19>

[0021] As in Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B and Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B, the wire harness main body 19 includes an outer member 21 and a wiring path ( Fig. 3A) or two cable paths 22 ( Fig. 3B) that is / are contained in the outer member 21 and is / are protected by the outer member 21. Although the wire harnesses 15 according to the embodiment have one or two conduction paths 22, they are merely examples, and wire harnesses having three or more conduction paths 22 are possible. A wire harness having multiple conduction paths 22 may include a high-voltage conduction path.

[0022] In the wire harness main body 19, sections indicated by an arrow C in Fig. 1A, “curved laying sections”, and in the case of a section marked by an arrow D in Fig. 1A is a "generally straight routing section." That is, the bent routing sections C are sections in areas where the wire harness 15 is wired by bending it to conform to the shapes of attachment (fixing) target sections (wire harness routing target sections) of the vehicle body. The generally straight routing section D is the section between the bent routing sections C (that is, the section that is routed under the vehicle floor 11).

[0023] The structure of the outer member 21 and the wiring path(s) 22 of the wire harness main body 19 will be described first, and the manufacturing method of the wire harness 15 and the routing configuration characterizing the invention will be described next. <Außenelement 21>

[0024] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2A, the outer member 21 is formed by resin molding as a single (before use) straight tubular member. (The material of the outer member 21 is not limited to a resin in the invention; it may be made of a metal as long as it can be serpentinized (described below).) In the embodiment, the outer member 21 is designed without a split portion extending along an axial direction thereof; in other words, it has no slit(s). The outer member 21 is circular in cross section.

[0025] In the embodiment, the portion (the straight routing corresponding portion 23) of the outer member 21 corresponding to the generally straight routing portion D of the wire harness main body 19 is formed like a bellows tube (the shape of the straight routing corresponding portion 23 is not limited to a specific shape in the invention as long as it is capable of being serpentine (described below)). More specifically, the straight routing corresponding portion 23 is formed to have circumferential bellows recesses and bellows protrusions arranged continuously and alternately in the axial direction of the tube. In the embodiment, the portions (the curved routing corresponding portions 24) of the outer member 21 corresponding to the curved routing portions C of the wire harness main body 19 are also formed like bellows tubes. <Leitungsweg 22>

[0026] As in Fig. 2A and Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B, the conductive path 22 includes a conductor 25 and an insulator 26 located outside the conductor 25. The conductor 25 is made of copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy and has a circular cross section. The conductor 25 may be formed by twisting single wires together, or it may have a bar structure that is rectangular or circular in cross section (e.g., a rectangular core or a circular core conductor; in this case, the wire harness main body 19 also has a bar structure). The insulator 26, made of an insulating resin material, is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the conductor 25 by extrusion molding.

[0027] The insulator 26 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the conductor 25 by extrusion using a thermoplastic resin material. The thermoplastic resin material is appropriately selected from various known materials, for example, polymer materials such as a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyethylene resin, and a polypropylene resin. <Fertigungsverfahren des Kabelbaums 15>

[0028] To produce the Fig. 2, the wire harness main body 19 is first manufactured, and then terminal processing is performed. The wire harness main body 19 is manufactured by inserting the wire path(s) 22 into the outer member 21 in a straight line from one opening thereof to the other opening thereof. After the wire harness 15 is manufactured, it is packed into a predetermined loading shape and transported to a vehicle assembly plant. The wire harness 15 is then wired along a predetermined route of a vehicle. <verlegungsweise>

[0029] As in Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, the wire harness 15 is laid in the same manner as in the related case between the bent routing portion C and the battery 16, and between the other bent routing portion C and the auxiliary device 18. In the generally straight routing portion D between the bent routing portions C, the wire harness 15 is laid in the laying manner according to the invention. In other words, in the laying area under the vehicle floor 11, where the wiring path(s) 22 are susceptible to vibration, the wire harness 15 is laid in a form (described below) that characterizes the invention.

[0030] In the generally straight laying section D, the cable harness 15 is laid so that the outer element 21 is, for example, in the Fig. 2B, whereby sections (e.g. the section indicated by arrow B in Fig. 2B, and the sections indicated by arrows E in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B) of the inner surface of the outer member 21 are brought into contact with the wiring path(s) 22. In the laying method according to the invention, the wiring path(s) 22 are held in a certain sense by the outer member 21 due to the contact at these portions, thereby preventing vibration of the wiring path(s) 22 relative to the outer member 21. The winding of the outer member 21 is prevented by attaching clamps 27 (fastening elements) for laying the wire harness 15 along a predetermined path, for example, in the manner shown in Fig. 2B.

[0031] As mentioned above with reference to Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B to Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B, the wire harness 15 in the invention is laid such that the outer member 21 is wound in a section where the wiring path(s) 22 is / are susceptible to vibration, that is, in the generally straight laying section D, and thus portions of the inner surface of the outer member 21 are brought into contact with the wiring path(s) 22 there. This makes it possible to suppress vibration of the wiring path(s) 22 relative to the outer member 21 and, in turn, prevent the insulator 26 of the wiring path(s) 22 from violently colliding with the inner surface of the outer member 21 and thereby being damaged. (If the wiring path(s) 22 has / have a shielding function, a shielding braid or a metal foil can be prevented from being damaged.)

[0032] It is understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.< / verlegungsweise>

Claims

[1] Design of a wiring harness (15,19) comprising: an outer element (21) having a bellows tube shape; and at least one conduction path (22) designed to be contained in and protected by the outer element (21), wherein the cable harness (15, 19) is laid in a generally straight laying section (D) such that the outer element (21) is serpentine such that sections (B, E) of an inner surface of the outer element (21) are brought into contact with the at least one conduction path (22), wherein the generally straight routing section (D) is defined as a section in which the wire harness (15, 19) is laid generally straight under the vehicle floor (11) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is located between curved routing sections (C) which are defined as sections in which the wire harness (15, 19) is laid in a curved manner to correspond to shapes of corresponding sections of a routing destination. [2] A wiring harness (15, 19) routing configuration according to claim 1, wherein a meandering attitude of the outer member (21) is maintained by fastening elements (27) that fix the wiring harness (15, 19) to the routing target.

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